Extractor attachment



F. A. BLAKE. EXTRACJOR ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION man wzi 9 FISH- IlaINVENTEJ R FREDAELA B ATTURNEY EXTRACTOR ATTAEHIVIENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 3, 1922.

Application filed. August 4, 1921. Serial No. 489,803.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnnonnrox A. BLAKE, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Gardner in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inExtractor Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in attachments for centrifugallaundry extractors and its leading object is to provide means whereby astandard laundry extractor may be quickly and easily equipped to evenldistribute the clothes or garments whic are to be subjected to theextracting process within the extractor basket or bowl, so as to obtaina proper balance of the basket or bowl and prevent the clothes orgarments from being torn, as a result of opposing thrusts developed inthe garments when they cross the axis of the rotating basket.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment of thischaracter which may be connected or disconnected without altering theconstruction of the machine.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists incertain new and use ful constructions, arrangements and relations ofparts, clearly described in the following specification and fullyillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sideelevation, partly in vertical section, of an extractor equipped with myattachment.

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of a coupling, taken on an enlargedscale.

Fig.3 is a vertical sectional view through an extractor showing amodified form of the attachment.

Fig. dis a top plan view thereof, showing the bearing bar in unlatchedposition.

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale, showinga modified coupling.

Fig. 6 is a detail vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale of aspring nut construction.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a cone.

Fig. 8 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a modified form, having a series of radialribs.

Referring to the accompanying drawings illustrating the practicalembodiment of the invention 5 designates a base on which the standard 6is mounted, which carries the casing bowl 7, the bottom of which isprovided with a drain channel 8, which discharges through the outletpipe 9. A shaft 10 1s ournaled vertically on the standard 6 and isequipped with a pulley 10, located in centrifugal action. The bottom 11is held in place on the shaft 10 by means of a nut 18. In the commonlaundry extractor constructions this nut is a cap type nut, which Iremove and substitute with a sleeve nut, as shown. The nut 13 is ofgreater depth than the upper end of the shaft 10, which pro ects abovethe bottom 11, and which proecting portion may be straight, as shown,-so that when the nut 13 is threaded thereon all of the bore of the nutwill not be filled by the projecting portion of the shaft.

The lower end of a post 14 is threaded into the nut 13 in abuttingengagement with the upper end of the shaft 10, and on this post a cone17 is mounted. The lower and larger end of this cone is provided with anend wall 18, the outer edge of which is turned over the lower edgeportion of the wall 17 a of the cone, and permanently united thereto, bya clamping fit, solder, or the i like. A weight 17, of heavy metal, suchas lead, or other material is disposed in the lower part of the cone, tobalance the rotation of the extractor bowl. The bottom 18 of the cone 17is preferably formed concave to overlie and enclose the nut 13, andstrengthen the base of the cone.

The upper andsmaller end of the cone is closed by means of a cap 19,against which is threaded the cap nut 16, carried by the upper end ofthe post. This nut may be replaced by a head formed integral with theupper end of the post. In this way the cone is clamped in place againstvertical displacement.

The angle of the cone is approximately about 16 degrees from thevertical, as shown, but this angle may be slightly varied withoutimpairing the efiiciency of the attachment.

In Fig. 5 I show an interfitting connection between the shaft 10 and thepost 14 wherein the shaft is formed with a longitudivnal socket 10 inwhich the threaded projection 14 of the post is threaded; the jointbetween the two sections or post and shaft being bridged by the couplingnut 13 In F igs. 3, l and 6, I show a modified form of the attachment,wherein means is provided for supporting the shaft against lateral play,and the shaft is extended to provide the axial support for the cone.Referring to these figures 6- designates a standard, which carries thecasing bowl 7, having the bottom 7" provided with the usual drainchannel 8', discharging through the outlet 9. The shaft 20 is providedwith a tapered portion 20, which is engaged by the conical bearing 11carried by the bottom 11 of the extractor basket 12, which is held inplace on the shaft by means of the nut 21, threaded thereon. The cone 17is supported on the extension 20 of the shaft 20, and is provided withthe bottom 18 and the weighted filler 17, disposed against the bottom. Acap 19' is mounted on the upper and smaller end of the cone.

The upper end of the extension 20 is provided with screw threads whichare engaged by the nut 22, and the terminal portion of the extension 20'extends above the nut 22 and is provided with a tapered point 20".

The shaft extension 20 is supported against lateral movement by means ofa bearing bar 25, which is formed with a central bearing 25 for thepointed end 20 of the shaft extension. The ends of this bear ing bar areprovided with hook like members 27, which are adapted to interlockinglyengage the lugs 28 formed or provided, as

by riveting or spot welding, on the side of the casing bowl 7 Byrotating the bar to the position shown in Fig. 4: the terminals of thebar may be disengaged from the lugs 28 and the bar removed. The point 20is normally protected by means of a shield member 24, which is pressedupwardly by means ofa spring 23, located between the nut 22 and saidshield member, as shown in enlarged section in Fig. 6. When the bearingbar is in latched position the shield member will be depressed and thepointed end of the shaft extension will lie in the bearing 25'.

The cone prevents shirts and other garments from becoming twisted onthemselves or crossing the center or axis of the rotating extractorbowl, and thus developing opposing thrusts or pulls calculated to ripthe garment.

I have found from extensive actual trial that an extractor equipped withmy attachment can be loaded more quickly than the present type of openextractonand the load more evenly distributed in the extractor bowl orbasket, so that a balanced rotation thereof is obtained. This enablesthe operator to save considerable time, as it eliminates the necessityof readjusting the load, and thus increases the effective running timeof the extractor and reduces the actual time required to extract waterfrom a given load. By insuring a balanced rotation of the extractor bowlthe efiiciency and working life of the extractor is greatlyincreased'and the tendency toward accidents from disruption of the partsof the extractor is reduced to a minimum. Furthermore, the tendency ofthe basket to wobble in its casing'bowl, with liability of breakage. andinjury of limb or loss of life, is practically removed. All this isaccomplished without involving any structural changes in the extractoror interfering with its normal operative control,

andby effectively preventing the tearing of garments during theoperation of extracting the excess water. In F ig.9 I show a modi fiedform having a series of radial ribs and provided with comb-shaped ribs.This device includes the ribs 30, and the triangularribs 31, radiallyspaced from each other.

Having described my invention I claim: 1. The combination with acentrifugal extractor havinga rotary bowl, of a cone approximately equalin length to the depth of the bowl, a nut disposed against the bottom'of the bowl, a post threaded on said nut and extending through saidcone and a nut threaded on said post against said cone.

2. An attachment for centrifugal dryers consisting of a cone providedwith means having axial openings therein, and a post adapted to extendthrough the cone and provided'with a head on its upper end to engage theupper end of the cone and with a screw thread on its lower end adaptedtobe coupled with the clamping nut of an extractor bowl. 7

3. In combination, a centrifugal extractor having a vertical shaft, abowl mounted for rotation thereon and havin a seat on the shaft, saidshaft being provided with screw threads on its upper-end, a conedisposed against the base of the bowl, a'post extending through the coneand having screw threads to engage the screw threads of the shaft, acoupling nut connecting the lower placed by the bearing bar.

5. Attachment'for centrifugal laundry extractors consisting of a conehaving end cone and being screw-threaded, and a nut carried by said postfor detachable engagement with the threaded end of the shaft of 10 anextractor bowl.

Signed by me at Springfield, Mass.

FREDERICK A. BLAKE.

